The invention pertains to padding material for seating structures. More particularly, the invention relates to removable seat padding designed for use with portable child automobile seats.
Laws in most states now mandate the use of child safety seats for infants and children under certain weight limits when riding in automobiles. While many designs for child safety seats have been developed, most if not all, provide only rudimentary padding for the developing bones and skeletal structures of infants and small children. As many children spend considerable time in these child safety seats the potential for discomfort, injury and even improper development of bones, muscles and skeletal structures is a very real problem.
Various devices have been developed to provide padding for repeated human contact with hard surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,180 issued to Sigfrid discloses a pocket connected to a cover into which is introduced a removable pad and a second pocket designed to close over the pad and the first pocket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,295 issued to Sarkozi, is directed to an adjustable seat and back support pad and mattress that is useful in a car, the pad can be assembled using Velcro, hook-and-loop and can be filled with an elastomer material such as solid or pelletized foam, fiber, cotton gauze, shredded cloth, air, water, gel, etc. This patent discloses an array of resilient, longitudinal, parallel support pads, hingedly attached together, that may be filled with gel. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 34,573, issued to Calvert is directed to a liquid filled bladder for relieving muscle fatigue, pressure sores, blistering, numbness, reduced blood circulation, and tissue damage of an assembly line worker, truck driver, hammer or jackhammer operator, etc. U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,538 issued to Pomeranz et al. is directed to one or more deformable sealed chambers containing a shock absorbing rheopexic fluid for use as shoe inserts, bed tops, horse saddles, bicycle saddles, gloves, or the like.
While other variations exist, the above-described designs for padding systems and structures are typical of those encountered in the prior art. It is an objective of the present invention to provide padding for a child""s safety seat that will protect the user from the hard surfaces of the seat. It is a further objective to provide for padding that will conform to the body of the user. It is yet a further objective to provide a seat pad that may be easily secured to a variety of conventional safety seats. It is still a further objective to provide seat pads suitable for both infants and older children. Finally, it is objective of the invention to provide the above-described capabilities in an inexpensive and durable pad that includes a cover that is removable and washable.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.
The present invention addresses all of the deficiencies of prior art car seat pad inventions and satisfies all of the objectives described above.
A car seat pad providing the desired features may be constructed from the following components. A back portion is provided. The back portion is formed of resilient padding material of a first predetermined thickness. The back portion has a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface, a rear surface and first and second side edges. The side edges are spaced apart by a first predetermined width. At least one pair of slots is provided. The slots extend from the front surface to the rear surface of the back portion and are sized, shaped and located to accommodate webbing of a child safety seat seatbelt.
A seat portion is provided. The seat portion is formed of resilient padding material of a second predetermined thickness. The seat portion has a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface, a rear surface and first and second side edges. The side edges are spaced apart by a second predetermined width. The bottom edge includes a notch. The notch is sized, shaped and located to accommodate a buckle of a child safety seat seatbelt. The back portion is hingedly attached at its bottom edge to the top edge of the seat portion.
In a variant of the invention, a removable, washable cover is provided. The cover is sized and shaped to fit slidably over the seat pad. A pair of reversibly separable closure means is provided. The closure means permit removal of the seat pad from the cover. The cover includes reinforced openings. The openings are sized, shaped and located to accommodate passage of webbing of a child safety seat seatbelt through the cover and into the slots in the seat pad.
In another variant, a raised seat support is provided. The seat support is formed of resilient material of a third predetermined thickness and has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, a second side edge a front surface and a back surface. The seat support is attached at its back surface to the front surface of the seat portion adjacent its top edge.
In yet another variant of the invention, a raised lumbar support is provided. The lumbar support is formed of resilient material of a fourth predetermined thickness and has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, a second side edge a front surface and a back surface. The lumbar support is attached at its back surface to the front surface of the back portion adjacent its bottom edge.
In still another variant, the first and second side edges of the back portion taper inwardly toward the bottom edge. The bottom edge separates the side edges by a third predetermined width less than the first predetermined width. The first and second side edges of the seat portion taper inwardly toward the top edge. The top edge separates the side edges by the third predetermined width.
When the car seat pad is installed into a child safety seat and folded at an intersection of the back portion and the seat portion, excessive padding material will not accumulate in the safety seat and cause discomfort to a user.
In yet another variant of the invention, the back portion and the seat portion are formed of isotonic foam. In another variant, the seat support is formed of isotonic foam. In still another variant, the lumbar support is formed of isotonic foam.
In a further variant of the invention, the back portion and the seat portion are formed of encapsulated gel material. In still a further variant, the seat support is formed of encapsulated gel material. In yet another variant, the lumbar support is formed of encapsulated gel material.
In still another variant, the car seat pad can be formed of the following components. A back portion is provided that is formed of resilient padding material of a fourth predetermined thickness. The back portion has a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface, a rear surface and first and second side edges. The side edges are spaced apart by a fourth predetermined width. A seat portion is provided that is formed of resilient padding material of a fifth predetermined thickness. The seat portion has a top edge, a bottom edge, a front surface, a rear surface and first and second side edges. The side edges are spaced apart by a fifth predetermined width. The bottom edge includes a slot sized, shaped and located to accommodate a buckle of a child safety seat seatbelt. The back portion is fixedly attached at its bottom edge to the top edge of the seat portion.
In yet another variant, at least one relief groove is provided. The groove is located on the front surfaces of the back portion and the seat portion and extends from the top edge of the back portion to the bottom edge of the seat portion. When the car seat pad is placed into a molded child safety seat, the relief groove will permit the seat pad to more closely fit the safety seat.
In still another variant of the invention, the seat pad includes a lumbar support. The support is formed of resilient padding material of a sixth predetermined thickness and has a front surface, a back surface, a first end and a second end. The first and second ends are separated by the fourth predetermined width. Means are provided for removably attaching the lumbar support adjacent the front surface of the back portion between the top edge and the bottom edge of the back portion.
In yet a further variant, the back portion and the seat portion are formed of isotonic foam. In still a further variant, the back portion and the seat portion including the relief groove are formed of isotonic foam.
In yet another variant of the invention, the lumbar support is formed of isotonic foam. In still another variant, the back portion and the seat portion are formed of encapsulated gel material. In yet a further variant, the back portion and the seat portion including the relief groove are formed of encapsulated gel material. In a final variant of the invention, the lumbar support is formed of encapsulated gel material.
An appreciation of the other aims and objectives of the present invention and an understanding of it may be achieved by referring to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of a preferred embodiment.